The need for venting a bathroom of offensive odors has been recognized for many years. As a result, various types of venting devices are known in the prior art purporting to fulfill this need. For example, exhaust fans have long been used as a bathroom venting device. Furthermore, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,071,915; 4,085,470; and 4,175,293, venting devices have been provided for use with a conventional toilet.
Such prior art devices suffer from one or more of a number of disadvantages. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,293 teaches a single intake port positioned so as to withdraw gases from a toilet bowl. Such a device fails to recognize that offensive odors permeate a bathroom and is, therefore, largely ineffective as to such distributed ordors. As a further example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,071,915 shows a venting device in combination with a warm air seat warmer. The toilet seat of this device includes both a suction passageway and a warm air blowing passageway. Again, such a device is ineffective to remove odors that have permeated a bathroom. If the seat was pivoted away from the rim of the toilet bowl in an attempt to remove such odors, the result would simply be a swirling of air due to the combination of functions provided.
As a yet further example of the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 4,085,470 discloses a venting pad adapted for engagement between the toilet bowl and seat. Such a device not only fails to consider the distribution of odors within a bathroom, but further fails to recognize the humid environment provided by most bathrooms. The device shown by this patent would easily mildew, thus detracting from the sanitary and aesthetic conditions traditionally desired in a bathroom.
A common problem with such prior art devices is that they provide an open port to the exterior of the building in which they are placed. As a result of differing temperatures between the inside and outside of the structure or as a result of wind gusts, drafts are often created. For example, in the winter, hot air from the house rises and is sucked out of the house through this open port. It is desirable to make the device compatible with the building so as to maintain heated or cooled conditions, whatever may be appropriate.
The inability to clean such prior art devices is another common problem. Due to their intended use, it is desirable to periodically clean all inner passageways. Otherwise, over a period of time, the venting device contributes to the problem of offensive odors rather than solving the problem. The prior art lack a toilet seat venting device promoting its own cleaning.
A further disadvantage of many such prior art devices is that they have numerous working parts and are, therefore, relatively expensive to manufacture. A related problem is that such complex devices are easily broken.